DIY Aero Cloner the EZ-Cloner Replica in 10 Easy Steps!

[smokditup]

Wow im tryin this. Excellcent

 

[DiverDave]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]@[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]K[/FONT]ing[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]R[/FONT]alph great tread and [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]excellent[/FONT] instructions , lots of info and
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]questions by users .. enough to use as testing of your grow abilities.
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]At least for me , I was able to answer their questions (in my head) for test purposes.

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]So for a learning thread .. was great.
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Now when I'm in need of making clones I will build this devi[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]ce.
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Great job and hope to see more of your idea[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]s in the future @ icmag.


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[Indiva710]

I just finished my hybrid cloner which is lpa/fogponics they will not be running at the same time of course but will see how it goes...I did use 2in net pots I cut the bottoms out and hot glued them inside the lid and worked out great so the collars are removable still and a 2in net pot is like 08 cents so big deal to cut the bottoms and just use the lips...I considered just glueing in the collars but didn't want to go thru that hassle with new clones or the fact when they have to get transplanted into a new home will be quite difficult to do.....And also what I see most people do that I did differently is that they will glue the bottom of the lid so they can have a leak free seal but you can't open the lid and that's a big problem for me as u never know when u might need to check things out as seeing thru a 2in hole ...So I built a gasket for the tote which I'm using a 14gal hdx...How I made the gasket was quite easy as I had the bubble wrap mylar everyone uses for insulation I made a strip along the top edge and then I ducktaped it and it's leak free and stupid easy to open still and check things out or have to clean in a emergency etc....I also used a 2in collar only for my power wires instead of cutting the side of the tote or wherever it goes I just put them in the lid made the whole a bit smaller than the others since it's collar only and I put a drop of hot glue on the inside of the collar so it stays 100% sealed with the fogponics...
Also I put a water level tube that most ppl think they are only good for that one thing...But it's not..It's a great way to drain the cloner too you can fill it from it not to mention checking nutes and ph..I use a funnel if need too I also use a turkey baster in the tube to mix the cloner when checking pH etc....Very multipurpose tube there lol
.As the journey and testing continues lol

 

[Mattbho]

LAZY MANS FIX!!!

I couldn't get mine to stop leaking. It leaked from the sides like 3 out of the 4 corners drip drip uber frustration waste of time. I Tried weatherstripping, different clamps bolts/washers/wing nuts and combos of each tried making gaskets using rubber from Bike tubes , hot glue , solicone , and caulking (big mistake) . Tried flipping the lid as well. No bueno. I should have just bought one after all the hours and trips to the home depot.

So what I've done is siliconed the lid firmly with a nice bead filling the handle grooves basically a shit ton of marine grade silicone covered the entire top ledge. Then while silicon still wet I put the lid on and rivets it down and let it cure..

leak now fucker I dare ya ,,,,

But doh I forgot to install my pump now it's just a sealed bin. Hehe j/k .

I used my dremel to cut out the top and now it's just pressed in place. Now I may get the odd droplet that is flying the correct way land on the lid so I've drilled a drain hole in the center.

Now I hate the slime those who dont know about the dreaded snot slime be happy you dont have to deal with it.
To combat the slime I've made mine a bio cloner!!

Inside sits an aquarium sponge filter hooked up to an air pump . Also the mister pump (*eco 250) sits in a filter bag ., I believe this is key because I put 1 cup of ewc in my cloner monthlyish and swap approx half the water at the same time . That is all . No sterilizing sometimes I dont even wash the collars .
My tap is approx 150-175ppm ewc adds 50ppm, I add a touch of cal mag to 300ppm approx . this also drops ph a bit it sits around 6-6.5. Pump runs 1 min on 4 min off.

Roots in 10 to 14 days and Ive yet to wash this tub out completely in 8+ months . I treat it like an aquarium, I bet a few guppies could live in the solution .

 

[asdfasf]

just a sec, this is gonna require a bowl...

ah lovely, all ready to go, are you? whether it be because you're sick of poor results or slowness or humidity domes, or because you wanna start the right way the first time, i understand your need for roots, so here is a simple step-by-step guide to building what is known as an Aero Cloner and been popularized as the expensive EZ-Cloner.

Parts List:

350GPH Danner Supreme Mag-Drive Utility Pump Model 3 (Model 5 500GPH for larger units)

35x 2inch Neoprene Insert Collars (only 50cents a pop in the 35x bag

12x Aeroponic Misters (EZ-Cloner replacement sprayers, Mister 320 etc)

1x Rubbermaid Roughneck 31gal Tub or equivalent

Schedule 40 PVC
1x 1/2" Pipe in length
1x 1/2" Female Connector
4x 1/2" Elbows
3x 1/2" Tees
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TOOLS

Drill
2" Holesaw
11/32 Drill Bit (or 10/32 tap)
Glue Gun + Glue (or 2" netpots)
Composite Hacksaw (something to cut PVC)

Have you pulled these things out of your back pocket yet? Vundeba, let's begin constructing...

1. Screw the 1/2" Female PVC onto the pump output...
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2. Cut PVC pipe for a length that ends up at least 6" below the top of the tub. Remember, you can always cut more off later, so don't cut too short. Clean all ends of plastic, and stick the pipe in the pump's fitting.
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3. Stick 1/2" Tee on the pipe...
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4. Cut 2 equal lengths to go the long distance of the tub...
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5. Put the 2 last Tees on the ends...
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6. Cut 4 equal length short pieces and stick in Tees after cleaned...
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7. Attach the 4 elbows...
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8. Measure and Cut 2 more equal length pieces to fit your rectangle, clean, and check to see how your barebones fits together...
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9. Now take apart the PVC and with an 11/32 drill bit (or 10/32 tap) drill holes for the sprayers in the pipes, and screw in the misters. sealing these isn't really necessary, also your pvc should fit together tightly enough not to need sealing either.
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As you can see that 18gal tub was a bit small, so i got the 31gal with plenty of space. Longer PVC, more misters, and a bigger pump and tub will allow you a bigger cloner, simple as that, design remains the same...

10. The Lid... drill the 2" holes you need. Clean the stray plastic off the holes without enlarging them, do no cut the plastic further yknow. Here you can either drop in 2" netpots, or what i had to do on some is to hot glue around the outside of the hole so the neoprene collars stuck in nicely, no netpot to fall in or for roots to get tangled in, or to buy note: experience has shown users to cut the bottom half of netpots off so roots are not damaged on removal...
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Voila!

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keep an eye on temps, they should be 68-78, 75F optimal. the pump keeps my temps perfect, but i suppose if it gets cold an aquarium heater would just be needed... but this...
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means this...
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you can see net pot or not makes no difference... and really temps are not a worry like in bubblecloning ugh... just ease here... warmer temps at the start n cooler temps after roots show is optimal, but any in the range will get ya success, and the pump should put the temp in a perfect spot!
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i truly hope this saves folks the money that ez-cloners would steal from them, or makes roots possible, or both, just know that you can always do it yourself. peace n green thumbs all.

Hey KingRalph,
Thanks for writing up this guide. It's very intuitive and easy to follow even for someone as bad at diy as me.
I just finished building one of these recently and it looks identically like this guy's above. I might take some pictures tomorrow.

It's been only two days but the cuttings are still standing up and I'm looking forward to seeing the roots.
I just put in a 380 gph pump from tractor supply store and like 6 of these misters I think.
I had to seal the tub because it was leaking. I might have to lower the misters to 6 inches below the lid. They are at 3 inches now.
I took a measurement of water temperature and its at almost 80f. It's been 4 days and I don't see anything yet. Maybe bumps but I can't really tell. I had it running on a 160gph pump the first two days so maybe it will take longer than 5 to 7 days.
I dropped another clone when I switched the pump out. It took root very quick. The temperature seems to be the main catalyst here. All of my clones showed roots or about to after 7 days in the cloner.

 

[Jestocost]

Thanks, KingRalph.


400gph pump. 1/2" PVC. 12 mister heads. 20 site. Works beautifully.

 

[gsxr97]

New cloner

New cloner

Threw together a modified version. I’ll post back when I get roots

Took clones off my top outdoor girls

 

[gsxr97]

Seeing some tiny root starts

 

[leon25]

Project is amazing, I am trying something similar I have 2 doubts:
1) the pump should be always on? or should switch off or on?
2) the box could be transparent? if it is what is the risk?

 

[gsxr97]

I have mine on 15 mins on, 15 off. Trying to not heat up the Rez water.

I think best to have non transparent container , keep it from getting slimy/growing stuff . Roots like dark if you think about them in the ground .

QUOTE=leon25;8964712]Project is amazing, I am trying something similar I have 2 doubts:
1) the pump should be always on? or should switch off or on?
2) the box could be transparent? if it is what is the risk?[/QUOTE]

 

[KingRalph]

I really like gsxr97's 3000 site version

I'll post some updated links to sprayers and pumps. The Danner pumps are kind of pricey these days but the power for the low heat is still pretty good. What other specific models have folks found to work well for a good price without heating up the water too much (and running 24/7)?

 

[BarknPunkin]

Hey King...that is fantastic!!

One thing I did when making mine was I cut the bottom out of each net cup so that I could put longer stems in if I like. I also used the 2" cups and the neoprene collars together. The top of the net cup acts as a lid for the neoprene collars, that way you don't have to worry about the hot glue, and your neoprene collars are easily removed when the cuts are rooted...